Kajah Tinneal Lanai Wilson, a 27-year-old Black female, was tragically killed on August 7, 2023, in Gary, Indiana. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 27, 1995, Kajah was a vibrant individual known for her infectious smile and caring spirit. She was an ambitious entrepreneur, having started three businesses, including a clothing line and a custom rug company.
Her life, however, was cut short in an act of gun violence.
The incident occurred in an apartment building in the 300 block of Clark Road in Gary. As Kajah and a companion were returning home with food, a masked gunman opened fire on them from a stairwell above. Kajah collapsed in the first-floor entryway and died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. The second victim was also severely injured in the ambush.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a prior conflict between the victims and the tenants of the apartment directly above them. Two weeks before the fatal shooting, the victims' apartment had been burglarized by a masked male and an unmasked female, with the incident captured on home security footage. Investigators were able to link the masked man from the burglary to the shooter in the fatal ambush through physical build, clothing, and the handling of the firearm.
The investigation led to the arrest of Thomas Demarcus Starks. Evidence presented at trial connected Starks to the earlier burglary through video evidence, witness statements, and pawn shop records showing that electronics stolen from the victims' apartment were pawned the day after the break-in. In October 2025, a Lake County jury found Thomas Starks guilty of murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and burglary. He was subsequently sentenced to 105 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for his crimes.
